Poisonous Aftertaste
by OhHowFluffyYouAre
Summary: Naruto is the master of seduction. No one has been able to escape once Naruto has his sights set on them. No one, expect for one Sasuke Uchiha. Eventual NaruSasu
1. 01 The Underlining Truth

**A/N: **The much anticipated fan fiction that you guys have been voting on for the pass… er… forever! Okay, well maybe not that anticipated, but you get the point. ^_^' This fan fiction is basically the same deal as _You Are My Perfect Secretary._ So anyways, hopefully, Naruto and Sasuke are more in character in this one than my other fan fictions, and the manga that this fan fiction is based of is _Sweet Poison on Our Lips_. It's amazing and it's a BL manga. It doesn't have any explicit sex scene; it's mostly just cute, fluffy stuff with a few kisses. It's a great manga to read for anyone that's just joined the yaoi community. XD But I totally recommend it to _anyone_ that's in the mood for a cute, mostly relationship focused (instead of sex) BL manga. :) And hopefully you'll like it as much as I did!

**Disclaimer: **I DO **NOT **OWN NARUTO OR SWEET POISON ON OUR LIPS.

"Talking"

"_Thinking"_

— Time/Scene Change

**

* * *

**

"_If Naruto ever falls in love with someone, then We Are Ninjas will disband."_

"_I'll seduce you Sasuke. I'll make you fall in love with me, so that you can't leave."_

**Song 01. The Underlining Truth**

Camera lights flashed brightly and caused Naruto to see spots. Sasuke saw them too but he refused to admit it. No matter how many times the annoying blond would ask. Though if Naruto kept asking he was going to see even more spots, but for an entirely different reason.

"Okay, now Naruto move around Sasuke and Sasuke sit down onto the couch."

The two idols did as instructed and expertly held their new poses without moving a muscle as the lights started to flash again.

We Are Ninjas is a band formed by Sasuke Uchiha and Naruto Uzumaki, but aside from the music industry, the two were also extremely popular in the entertainment business and modeling industry. We Are Ninjas is the most sought after boy band in almost every country and Naruto and Sasuke were the most popular singers/actors/models in the business. Every director and photographer fought for the right to have them in their upcoming movies or magazine ads. Every other actor and model and even some singers envied them and wanted to know why they hadn't just dropped dead yet.

Life was just too unfair.

**

* * *

**

"So, what do you guys do on your days off?" the TV host asked with a bright smile.

"Our days off?" Naruto asked as if he'd never heard of the phrase. "Do we have those?"

"Yes Naruto," Sasuke answered, as if talking to a small child, then turned his attention to the TV host. "We don't usually go out on our days off. But we often eat together after work, and afterwards, Naruto usually stays at my place."

"Sasuke's place is the best," Naruto grinned happily. "It's waaay more comfortable than my place."

The host's eyes instantly light up. "Oh, so you two have a very close relationship then." She then glanced down to her clipboard. "And there's a rumor that the two of you will be featured in a popular TV series. Is this rumor true?"

"Mhmm," Naruto nodded. "It's only a short midnight series, but I'm still really excited about it since I haven't worked on a film with Sasuke since our first acting gig. It'll be fun."

"Tons of fun." Sasuke added sarcastically.

**

* * *

**

Naruto rocked from side to side in impatience as he listened to Kakashi list off the day's schedule. Photo shoot… Interview… Rehearsal… And repeat. Naruto was never really good at sitting still for long periods of time. He just couldn't do it. It was practically against the laws of Physics for the blond to stay still for long amounts of time. Naruto's eyes started to wander as Kakashi continued to read off the never ending schedule. Naruto was about to groan in frustration and boredom before something from across the room caught his eye.

"Hey!" Naruto called, interrupting a droning Kakashi, who didn't mind. Honestly, he was glad Naruto finally interrupted him; even he was starting to get bored of his own voice.

"What's in the box?" Naruto asked curiously.

The staff member held the box up in front of them and answered. "Someone left us some cake." She smiled. "Would you like some?"

"Yea. Believe it!" Naruto cheered as he jumped over the back of the couch he was seated on, careful not to hit Sasuke, and nearly hopped over to the cake-holding staff member. "Looks yummy. How many can I have?" Naruto asked, nearly drooling.

"As many as you'd like." She answered with a blush.

"Naruto, stop being rude," Sasuke commanded as he turned in his seat so that he could keep a better eye on his lively band mate.

"Naruto sure is friendly with everyone," Iruka smiled fondly.

"Yea," Kakashi agreed. "Sometimes I wonder if that's a good thing or bad thing."

"Actually I've been to this bakery before," Naruto answered the staff member. "It's the only place that meets Sasuke's 'standards'."

The staff member giggled at Naruto's antics.

"Hey," Sasuke lightly hit the back of Naruto's head. "How long do you plan on talking? She's working, like _you _should be."

The staff member laughed nervously as she excused herself and left the room. Truth was: she really wasn't working. She just wanted to see Naruto, so she purposely brought the box of cakes as bait to get the blond's attention.

After the staff member disappeared, Sasuke turned to scold Naruto again but instead noticed the icing on the corner of the blond's mouth.

"Why can't you eat like a civilized adult?" the raven asked as he raised his hand to wipe the bright blue icing off Naruto's mouth.

Naruto grinned as Sasuke grabbed a napkin and wiped the sugary substance off his finger. "Ya know Sasuke, you seem cold and distant, like you couldn't care less about anything, but I know the truth."

Sasuke raised a questioning eyebrow. "I think you've had too much sugar."

Naruto ignored him. "But actually, you do pay attention to everything around you."

"Hn." Sasuke answered with a shrug.

Naruto merely grinned widely again. "Please take good care of me Sasu-chan!" Naruto nearly shouted.

"Whatever," Sasuke replied absently as he walked away. It was time for another photo shoot.

**

* * *

**

"And that's a wrap!" the photographer yelled cheerfully.

Sasuke and Naruto sighed in relief as they were finally able to relax their stiff and aching muscles.

"Good work everyone," the photographer smiled broadly as he handed his camera to his assistant.

"You too," Naruto answered with a broad smile of his own, while Sasuke just nodded and walked towards the dressing room to change.

After thirty minutes, Sasuke and Naruto were finally changed and ready to go. They walked out of their shared dressing room and headed for the exit, Naruto waving good-bye to everyone that walked past. Finally reaching the building's front doors, Sasuke and Naruto walked up to a bored-looking Kakashi, his nose bury in the newest volume of _Icha Icha Paradise_.

"You guys have to take a cab back," the silver haired man informed the two. "My car battery just died." He added with a shrug and returned to reading his book.

"I was wondering why you were on time," Sasuke commented as he put on his sunglasses and walked towards the exit.

"Haha, maybe your car should break down more often," Naruto joked but then noticed that Sasuke had already left. "See ya tomorrow Kakashi!" the blond yelled as he ran to catch up with the raven.

The instant Naruto and Sasuke left the building, they were bombarded with squealing fans and pens and paper. Naruto stopped to sign autographs and chat with a wide grin while Sasuke ignored them all and kept on walking. Sasuke quickly hailed a taxi and sighed in irritation to see Naruto still entertaining his fans.

"Naruto!" Sasuke called as he climbed into the taxi.

The blond instantly stopped and instinctively looked over to where Sasuke's voice had come from. Sasuke signaled for Naruto to hurry up and slid the rest of the way into the bright yellow car.

"Bye! Thank you so much for supporting us!" Naruto yelled as he ran to the taxi, and quickly climbed in.

"Did you see Naruto's reaction when Sasuke called him?" a fan giggled from the back. "It's like he turned into a puppy dog!"

"Oh my gosh," another fan agreed. "You're right. He was exactly like a puppy. I think I even saw a tail waging." She giggled, now wishing she had gotten a picture.

**

* * *

**

Sasuke stared blankly at the stack of envelopes and papers that were thrown onto his lap.

"They're yours," Naruto explained as he looked through his own pile of fan letters.

"Why'd you get mine?" Sasuke questioned while pushing the letters off his lap. "I don't want them."

"Because when fans send you fan mail, they want you to read them," Naruto answered. "Those fans waited a long time just to see us. We should be nice to them."

"I'll leave that to you," the raven said, handing his letters back to Naruto.

"Sir?" the cab driver interrupted. "Where to?"

"First stop on Leaf Avenue and one of us will get off there, then—"

"No! Wait!" Naruto quickly cut in. "Go to Sound Drive, towards downtown."

"Naruto." Sasuke said in a warning tone and with narrowed eyes.

"Come on, let me stay over tonight," Naruto pleaded. "Tomorrow's filming location is closer to your place anyways, and plus I have the script with me. Pretty please? I'll be good."

"Hn." Sasuke answered as he settled back into the car seat. Naruto grinned in victory and continued to give the cab driver directions.

Sasuke really hated how he couldn't refuse Naruto anything. He felt like a parent that was getting manipulated by his five year-old son.

"Oh, stop pouting," Naruto teased with a smirk.

"I'm not pouting," Sasuke responded childishly while crossing his arms.

Naruto just grinned knowingly and ruffed the raven's hair. Sasuke glared and was really tempted to bribe the cab driver into kick the speed up to eighty and looking the other way when his back door is "mysteriously" opened and Naruto "mysteriously" falls out.

**

* * *

**

Naruto sighed contently as he finished his shower and exited the bathroom in only a pair of boxers, and sweat pants, which he borrowed from Sasuke, and a towel to dry his hair. Spotting his favorite raven sitting on the living room couch, Naruto propped himself on the couch's back and looked over Sasuke's shoulder to see what his band mate was reading.

"That tomorrow's script?"

Sasuke nodded in answer. "Have you memorized your lines yet? After introductions tomorrow, we'll officially begin filming."

"Don't worry. I got them." Naruto replied with a grin. "Hey Sasuke."

"Hn." Sasuke hummed as he continued reading.

"You're really hot," the blond said seriously.

Sasuke looked over his shoulder at Naruto with narrowed eyes. His blond co-star was up to something fishy again.

"What? I'm being totally serious here," Naruto defended and gave Sasuke another wide grin then turned serious again and reached forward and lifted Sasuke's face to his. "Hey…" Naruto whispered as he inched closer towards the beautiful raven's parted mouth. "Can I kiss you?"

"Naruto…" Sasuke breathed as Naruto's lips almost touched his. "No wonder why you haven't gotten any lately. Your pick-up lines sound like you got them from that book Kakashi's always reading." Sasuke smirked as he pulled away. "And you sounded so serious too when you said you were 'going to seduce me', and to think, I was actually a little worried."

Naruto pouted cutely at his friend's teasing. "I just asked if I could kiss you or not!" Naruto walked around the couch. "So can I?"

"No." Sasuke answered as he moved so that Naruto could sit on the couch.

"What? Why not? It's just one kiss!" Naruto whined as he plopped down onto the plushy couch.

"Because I have no intentions of playing your games with you." Sasuke replied.

"Games? What games?" Naruto asked, confused. "I don't play games."

"Yes you do. Every time someone breaks up with you, you always immediately say 'Sasuke will be my next lover'." Sasuke explained with a tired sigh. "With that kind of track record, how can I possibly take you seriously?"

"Well yea, but you said 'if Naruto ever falls in love with someone, then We Are Ninjas will disband', so it's your fault too, and plus, with what you said, how can I even consider seeing someone else? So don't throw all the blame onto me, Teme!"

Sasuke arched an eyebrow. "So, you're basically saying, you just want a lover, and you don't care who it is."

"No, I do care who—"

"How long have we known each other?" Sasuke cut in quickly. "Isn't this a little late?"

"But that's because I've always seen you as someone who was forever unreachable. I remember the first time I saw you. I'd never seen someone so utterly beautiful. You were like an untouchable flower that no one could get close to." Naruto quickly answered in defense.

Sasuke stared at Naruto blankly. "So, you really want to be my lover?"

"Mhmmm," Naruto nodded his head vigorously.

"Hn. I still don't see how you could be serious."

Naruto almost fell off the couch. "Why not?"

"Because, your lovers are many and frequent." Sasuke explained. "Whenever someone dumps you, you go into a deep depression for almost an entire night and then the next day you're good as new. Like nothing happened, and then the next day, you're with someone new. Seriously, you fall in love as easily as you fall out of love. Over-night. And you want me to be your next lover?"

"But I was serious every time," Naruto continued to pout.

"I don't think your definition of 'serious' is the same as mine," Sasuke replied as he pushed off the couch lazily.

"So then how do I prove to you that I _am very _serious? Sasuke?" Naruto asked desperately.

Sasuke smirked. "You'll find a way, and if you do actually convince me that you are 'serious' then I _might_ just consider becoming your lover." The raven then turned on his heel and headed for his bedroom. "Good night Naruto."

"Wait. I'm sleeping on the couch?" the blond asked in disbelief.

"Of course." Sasuke smirked again. "Don't catch a cold."

"But..!" Naruto pouted as Sasuke's closed his bedroom door. "You usually let me sleep in the bed with you…" the dejected blond mumbled to himself.

Naruto then sighed and settled back into the couch. _"Damn it, I made a fool out of myself in front of Sasuke again. I always do that. How did I seduce people in the past?" _Naruto looked to the ceiling in thought before his brooding expression changed into an embarrassed one. _"Oh yea, I slept with them first then dated them."_

Naruto groaned in frustration as his mind continued to go around in circles. _"Shit. There's no way Sasuke would fall for the real me. It's damn near impossible."_

The blond entertainer sighed again and glanced at the clock. It was about time he went to sleep. With a yawn, Naruto burrowed his way under the warm blanket and almost instantly fell asleep.

**

* * *

**

The door to Sasuke's bedroom slowly inched open as Sasuke walked out to check on his hyperactive, blond band mate.

"_Honestly, since the first time I saw you, I always thought you were like an overgrown puppy. I guess you are a puppy. I say 'stay' and you don't move, even though you know that my door doesn't have a lock. Are you that willing to follow my every whim? Or… Are your feelings for me just that shallow?" _

Sasuke reached forward and moved a strand of blond hair out of Naruto's sleeping face and then trailed his pale fingers down a tanned cheek.

"_I'd actually like it better if you were a puppy…" _Sasuke bent down and settled onto his knees so that he was more level with the unconscious Naruto. _"Because, if you were a puppy…"_

Sasuke leaned forward and placed his fingers gently on Naruto's scarred cheek again. "_Then I could keep you all to myself."_

The raven then carefully placed a soft kiss on Naruto's chapped lips.

**

* * *

**

"Director Sarutobi!" Naruto shouted happily as he practically ran into the filming studio.

The older director turned and smiled brightly at the two. "Naruto, Sasuke. You both look great. I hope you're both doing well."

"Mhmm," Naruto beamed while Sasuke shrugged behind him. "I was really happy when I found out we would be working with you again."

"I know how you feel." Sarutobi replied with another wide grin. "So how have you two been lately?"

"Busy, but we're excited about this project. Sasuke and I haven't worked as actors on the same film in a loooooong time. So it's a good coincidence that you're our director again."

"You haven't directed any TV shows lately either, mostly just movies." Sasuke commented

"That's right," the director confirmed. "But once I saw the script for this show and noticed that both of you were in the cast, I couldn't resist. I want to see how much the two of you have improved." He admitted as he led the two part-time actors towards their dressing room.

After a short meeting and introducing all the actors and what part they would play, the whole crew got an hour break before they would have to actually start filming. Sasuke went in search of a vending machine so that he could get a drink. Caffeine headaches are such a bitch.

"Sasuke!"

Said raven paused and turned to see who had called his name.

"Gaara?"

"Haven't seen you in a while."

Sasuke nodded in answer.

"I'm kind of surprised, actually. I didn't think I would be working with _you _in a TV series… Though since my singer career is pretty much ov—"

"Hey! It's Gaara!" Naruto jumped into the conversation.

Gaara stilled momentarily and a look of anger flashed crossed his features at hearing Naruto's loud voice, but he quickly brushed it off and composed himself, but Sasuke had already seen it.

"Long time no see," Naruto grinned a he jogged up and stood beside Sasuke. "Wow, there's actually quite a few actors from our company here. There's Sasuke and me, and now you and Haku too."

"Um. Excuse me," a nervous, star stuck male quietly interrupted. "Good morning," he bowed to Sasuke and Naruto before quickly turning his attention to Gaara. "Um… Gaara-san, I'll just take your lunch to your dressing room."

Gaara nodded as the male blushed and quickly scurried away.

"I'm… Guessing he's also from our company," Naruto said, a little awkwardly.

"Yea, he's training to be an actor, so as part of his training, he's assisting me." Gaara answered.

"Hey Sasuke, can I borrow for a minute please?" one of the camera men asked as he appeared from around the corner.

Sasuke nodded. "Sure. Naruto, go ahead and eat. I'll be back in a minute."

"Okay," Naruto answered as Sasuke followed after the camera man.

"Hey Gaara!" the blond then chased after said red head and fell into step with the other actor. "You voice-dubbed for a foreign movie right? I saw it on TV a few weeks ago and was like 'wow! That voice sounds so familiar!' I always thought you had a really good voice. When did you start voice-acting? Hey, hey, can I eat my lunch in your dressing room?"

"Naruto…" Gaara's voice suddenly cut through all of Naruto's ramblings. The red head cleared his throat and then said. "So, you and Sasuke seem to be progressing quite steadily, and you've both release individual singles right? Even though We Are Ninjas is very popular and very successful… Uh… I was wondering if there was some kind of disagreement between the two of you?"

"Oh, no, not at all." Naruto answered, sighing a breath of relief, glad that Gaara wasn't talking about him trying to seduce Sasuke. "I dunno why, but ever since Sasuke and I have released separate singles, everyone's been asking that. Some of them even thought that We Are Ninjas was going to _disband_! Can you believe that?"

"Do you guys hold separate concerts?" Gaara asked, ignoring Naruto's question.

"Nope." Naruto replied proudly. "We do all our concerts together!"

"Really? So Sasuke hasn't decided to pursue a solo career?" Gaara questioned.

"No. Why would he do that?" Naruto returned with a chuckle.

"Well…" Gaara looked over to a very trusting Naruto, a bright smile on his handsome, tan face. "Don't tell me you didn't know Naruto." The red head asked seriously.

"Know what?" Naruto replied curiously.

"But I guess it's only logical that you wouldn't know. You see, just before Sasuke joined you to begin a career as a boy band, as a teen idol. He was going to be a professional singer because of the extent of his vocal skills. Sasuke was going to be a professional singer with me… As his partner…" Gaara explained to a stunned and speechless Naruto.

"What?" Naruto whispered.

"Yea, but then our manager suddenly introduced him to you and… Everything got ruined. Sasuke just had to go and become a pop star. With you as his partner." Gaara said bitterly. "Wearing tacking, uncomfortable costumes, singing pop song, and dancing just _aren't_ things that Sasuke actually enjoys doing. And as for me, I couldn't make it as a solo artist, so now I'm only an actor. It's not that I dislike acting, but I still have my pride in my original goal. I still want to be a singer." Gaara looked over his shoulder to a shocked Naruto. "It was the manager's decision that you should be the one to work with Sasuke. But even to this very day… I despise you." Gaara glared and Naruto could feel the murderous intentions floating in the air. "If it hadn't been for you, then Sasuke most likely would have taken a very different career path."

Gaara couldn't help but smirk as Naruto continued to stare wide-eyed at the floor in front of him. "So now that you know. I won't ask you to not speak to me at all, but please, don't do that 'friendly' shit with me. When I see you wagging your tail like a dog, trying to please everyone… It makes me want to puke." The red head walked off leaving a paralyzed and stunned Naruto behind.

"_I never knew…" _Naruto's mind was a mess. Thoughts were rushing everywhere with no destination and the blond couldn't make sense of anything anymore. _"That Sasuke had wanted a professional singing career with Gaara… That Sasuke never wanted to be a pop star."_

"'_**I despise you'… 'It makes me want to puke'…" **_

Naruto's heart and lungs suddenly forgot what their bodily functions were as another thought occurred to the blond. _"Does Sasuke feel that way too?" _

**TBC…**

Wow, big change from _You Are My Perfect Secretary_, right? Hope the characters are more in character this time around. :3 Haha, I just love making Gaara the bad guy. XD And it seems like Naruto's always a little bit of a man whore in my stories. O.o' Maybe that'll change one of these days…. Yea. Probably not. XD So tell me what you guys think. :) Like it? Keep going? :3 Indifferent to it? :{ Hate it? :( Want to torch it and throw its ashes into the nearest river? XP

Please review! 3

—ohhowfluffyyouare


	2. 02 In All Seriousness

**A/N: **Let's just skip the silliness this time and just cut to the good stuff. M'kay? :3

**Disclaimer: **I DO **NOT **OWN NARUTO OR SWEET POISION ON OUR LIPS

"Talking"

"_Thinking"_

— Time/Scene Change

**

* * *

**

"'_I despise you'… 'It makes me want to puke'…"_

"_Does Sasuke feel that way too?"_

**Song 02. In All Seriousness **

Sasuke sighed in annoyance at Gaara's pettiness. When the crew member had asked for Sasuke's assistance, it was only to confirm whether or not Sasuke was okay with cutting out one of his scenes and re-working it so that they could merge the deleted scene into one of Naruto's scenes, so the two didn't walk very far away, only around the corner, and so Sasuke had heard Naruto and Gaara's entire conversation. One would think with all the drama an actor has to deal with on screen, they'd be much calmer off screen. Honestly, some actors still had the mind-set of an antsy teenager, over-dramatizing every little problem. High school is over kiddies. It's time to start acting like a big boy now.

"_He's just like a puppy." _Sasuke mused from his hiding place as the crew member walked away. _"Hn… I never knew Gaara didn't like Naruto. Does he really think that it's Naruto's fault that he can't sing? After all, even auto tune has its limits." _A self-satisfied smirk pulled at the raven idol's lips, and Naruto said he wasn't funny. It's not his fault that Naruto might just be a wee bit slow. _"And he even thinks that it's Naruto's fault that I'm an idol, which, according to him, I don't even want to be in the first place." _Sasuke sighed again and pushed off the wall he was resting against and headed for the dressing room. _"It's not like I particularly care what Gaara thinks, but why would he pick this particular moment to tell Naruto? What's that raccoon freak planning?" _

Pushing the dressing room door open, Sasuke looked around for his blond band mate and was surprised to find the room empty. He ventured further into the eerily empty room and looked down curiously at the untouched carry-out box placed on one of the tables.

"Weird…" Sasuke mumbled to himself. _"He's not eating lunch. So where did he go then?" _

* * *

"Cut! Cut!" the director yelled again, "Naruto! Come on kid! Get your head out of the clouds! Ahhhh. That's enough for today," Sarutobi finally said, clearly frustrated with the blond. "You're done for today. Go home and come back tomorrow ready to work."

Naruto walked off set, defeated, as Sarutobi went on to the next scene and started to bark out more orders, obviously taking out his aggravation on the rest of the crew. It wasn't that Naruto was purposely messing up. It's just…. He couldn't get what Gaara said to him off his mind.

As Naruto walked off set with a lowered head and esteem, Gaara chanced a glance over his shoulder to the departing blond actor and couldn't help the soft chuckle that escaped as his lips curved into a dark smirk. The red head then quickly looked back to the script his was reviewing, oblivious to the fact that Sasuke had seen the suspicious action, and a thoughtful expression crossed the raven's features.

At the end of the shoot, Naruto quickly went up to everyone and feverishly apologized for his shameful performance. Naturally, no one held it against him and merely encouraged the deflated blond to do better tomorrow. But no matter how much Sasuke tried to get Naruto's attention, the blond would either pretend that he didn't hear the raven calling him or would make an excuse and run off in another direction. Gaara was planning something, and Sasuke was going to find out what. It's a good thing the walls separating the dressing rooms are thin.

Paper thin in fact.

**

* * *

**

"Uzumaki-kun seemed distracted today. He couldn't concentrate in any of his scenes…" Gaara's nervous assist said, attempting to make conversation.

"Yea… I guess." Gaara answered, not helping the conversation at all.

"The things that you said." The in-training actor tried again. "They really affected him."

"You heard?" Gaara questioned.

"Ummm… Yea. Sorry."

"No need to apologize," the red head replied. "It's the truth after all. Though…" Gaara trailed off to take a sip of the coffee that his assistant just handed him. "His reaction was different that what I'd expected. It wasn't Naruto's idea to take this path, so he's easily influenced by others. You know that I really admire and like Sarutobi's films. The actors that catch Sarutobi's attention are able to act in his films often. So I want to use this chance to get him to notice me. If Naruto stays distracted then I have a chance to prove myself in front of Sarutobi."

"So… You intentionally said those things?" The assistant asked, a little stunned at Gaara's underhandedness. "You wanted to upset Uzumaki-kun."

"Well, I've always wanted to tell him those things anyways." Gaara confessed with a shrug of his shoulders. "Now was a good a time as any. It's like killing two birds with one stone."

"Why..?"

"What?" Gaara asked, finishing the drink and placed the empty cup onto the table beside him.

"Uh… Nothing," he chose to say instead. _"But Gaara-san… You don't need to use such petty tricks."_

"Another cup of coffee please."

"Yes sir," the assistant nodded.

**

* * *

**

Gaara really needs to learn to talk softer. Sasuke smirked as his ears picked up the sound of Gaara thanking his assistant for another cup of coffee.

"_So that's how it is…" _The raven said silently. "Naruto," Sasuke called as his attention finally returned to the dressing blond.

"Er… Um…" Naruto started to panic as he watched Sasuke push away from the wall he was leaned against and move towards him. He tried to give Sasuke his trademark grin but even he could feel how fake it looked. _"Shit… I can't smile naturally."_

Naruto quickly finished dressing as his band mate got closer. "I've got something to do." Naruto waved as he headed for the door. "I'll go on ahead."

"Hey!" Sasuke called after the retreating blond but was answered with a slammed door.

Sasuke heaved another heavy sigh. _"I guess the things that Gaara said to him are really hurting him. If only Naruto would come crying to me and tell me that someone was bullying him, then I could comfort him. Why can't he act spoiled? Even just a little. Well, he'll be fine in the morning, like usual."_

**

* * *

**

Naruto closed his front door and sighed for what seemed the millionth time. _"What am I doing?" _he questioned himself as he headed for the living room and plopped down onto his comfortable couch. _"The things that Gaara said really shook me up. My brain feels like it's stopped functioning." _Naruto commented to himself as he started to remember fragments of his conversation with Gaara. Each sharp fragment cutting him deep. _"This is the first time someone's said that they hated me to my face. It's really painful. I don't like this feeling."_

Struggling to his feet, Naruto got ready for bed and headed to the bathroom so that he could take a shower. _"And he even said he wanted to puke after looking at me… He hates me enough to puke. Does he really hate me that much?" _Naruto couldn't help but feel like he was just compared to a bug.

"_Sasuke… He doesn't hate me right? If he did then he wouldn't let me stay at his house. But then again…" _Naruto closed his eyes so that he could raise his head towards the shower head and let the hot water hit his face. _"Sasuke's really mature. Maybe he just accepts me because I'm his working partner." _The blond's eyes suddenly widen at this sudden thought as he continued to stare at his dripping reflection. _"If that's the case, then it's impossible for me to even think about courting him. Sasuke did say that his 'serious' wasn't the same as my 'serious'. He never said whether or not he was willing to be my lover. It's all just an excuse to reject me! How… I… What should I do? How can I overcome this?" _Naruto groaned in frustration as he pulled his pajama pants up and flopped into bed gracelessly.

"_I can't think of a solution…" _Naruto admitted to himself as he stared at the blank ceiling. _"Tomorrow, I'll ask Sasuke directly and sort this all out." _With that thought in mind, Naruto started to feel a little more at ease and so sleep started to become harder to resist. _"It should be fine. Sasuke wouldn't hate me. It's going to be fine…" _Naruto chanted as he drifted off to sleep.

"Hmmm… Not a cockroach…" The blond sleepily mumbled as he rolled over and kicked his covers off.

**

* * *

**

Just like Sasuke had predicted, in the morning, Naruto was fine again and back to his old self. He greeted everyone good morning with a bright smile, and the moment he saw Gaara walking towards his dressing room, Naruto's smile widened as he ran after the other actor.

"Good morning Gaara!" the happy blond waved.

Gaara glanced back at Naruto and stared at him in confusion for a second before quickly turning back around and continued to walk towards his dressing room, completely ignoring Naruto.

Seeing that the red head didn't respond, Naruto chased after him and said good morning once more, refusing to give up. Gaara again didn't respond, or even glance back this time, which only caused Naruto to say good morning again. After the fourth time, Gaara got annoyed and angrily turned to face the blond.

"Have you already forgotten what I said to you yesterday? Quit acting friendly with me!" Gaara demanded with a glare.

"I didn't forget," Naruto said nonchalantly, which only served to piss Gaara off even more. "It's just… I realized I can't control this kind of thing. There's no way. But…" Naruto averted his eyes and looked around thoughtfully. "I still like you a lot Gaara and I've thought about it. The difference between humans and cockroaches is the ability to fight back!" the blond explained proudly.

"_Okay, this kid has lost it," _Gaara looked at Naruto in confusion and shock. There was no way Naruto's brain was functioning properly. Cockroaches? Who said cockroaches? What conversation was Naruto listening to yesterday?

"Gaara's 'hate' and my 'like' should have showdown someday," Naruto declared with a wide grin then turned on his heel and headed for his own dressing room. "Later, I have a few acting techniques that I'd like you to help me with!"

Gaara watched in stunned amazement as Naruto seemingly brushed yesterday off. That kid has to has to have a brain malfunction somewhere. Sasuke, having seen the whole thing, was thinking the same thing as he approached Gaara, but the raven wasn't nearly as surprised. Naruto was a fast healer after all.

"_Just as I thought… Naruto's back to normal over night." _Sasuke shook his head at Naruto's quick recovery personality. "Gaara."

The red head turned at hearing his name and was shocked to see Sasuke walking towards him. "Singing. If you really want to do it so desperately, then go ahead and do it, but don't put the blame on to others just because you can't do something." Sasuke glanced over his shoulder and with a smirk, and asked Gaara's flustered assistant. "Am I right?"

"Uh… Ah…" The assistant replied, too nervous and shocked to form a coherent answer.

"Besides," Sasuke waved at the two in dismissal and continued his walk to the dressing room he shared with Naruto. "An idol's work isn't easy either."

The two stared at Sasuke's retreating back until the raven idol disappeared into his dressing room.

"I… I…" Gaara's assistant mumbled once Sasuke was no longer in the hall.

"What?" the red head asked.

"I think Gaara-san's singing and acting are very good. Really!" The assistant looked embarrassed, but quickly gathered his remaining courage and confessed. "You're my goal! I hope to become as good as you!"

Gaara stared at his assistant in shock and amazement. Really, what was with everyone shocking and amazing him today? It was getting kind of annoying. But nonetheless, Gaara's lips curved into one of his small, rare smiles as he ruffled his training assistant's hair.

**

* * *

**

"Good morning Sasuke-kun."

"Good morning," Naruto heard Sasuke greet back.

The blond felt his heart speed up at the sound of his band mate's voice. Panic started to set in as Naruto continued to listen to Sasuke talk with the crew member.

"_What am I going to do? Am I really going to ask him what he thinks of me? But… What if he says… He hates me?" _Naruto's hands tightened into fist out of fear as that thought continued to circulate his panicking mind. "I…" The blond tried to say as he saw Sasuke walking towards him. "I've… DECIDED TO NEVER GET MARRIED!" The blond shouted as Sasuke stopped beside him.

"Huh?" the raven took off his sunglasses and gave Naruto a look that clearly said "what the hell are you talking about you psycho".

Naruto quickly finished dressing and turned on his heel and ran towards the door as he yelled over his shoulder. "So that We Are Ninjas will never disband!"

"The hell?" Sasuke asked himself as Naruto disappeared from the dressing room.

**

* * *

**

Cameras rolling and bright lights shining everywhere, Naruto felt much more at ease than he did yesterday and it showed.

"Stop harassing me all the time," Naruto sneered with a dark smirk. "Or I'll do much worse than just beating the shit out of you."

"I won't let you do as you please!" the other actor spat as he wiped the fake blood from the corner of his mouth.

Behind the cameras and getting the finishing touches to his make up and hair, Sasuke was happy to see that even though Naruto was acting strangely a moment ago, his acting seems to be back on point. So the raven just decided to let the weird moment slide and blame it on having to wake up early this morning. Plus Sarutobi seemed pleased, so there wasn't any need to worry anymore.

A crew member caught Sasuke's attention and motioned for Sasuke to hurry up. The raven nodded and entered the camera's shot from the side. A worried expression fixed on his usually indifferent features as he got into character.

"What are you doing here Nii-san? Sensei (*) is looking for you!" Sasuke looked between Naruto and the actor in fake curiosity. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Naruto's character answered with a grin. "I'll be going now," the blond said as he walked off camera in the opposite direction Sasuke had entered.

"There's blood on your shirt Nii-san. Are you alright?"

Naruto looked over his shoulder once he was behind the camera and admired his band mate's appearance. _"Sasuke… He looks really good in white. He's such a beauty." _The blond praised, a little dazed by the raven. _"Well, even if Sasuke hates me, as long as We Are Ninjas never disbands, then I can stay with Sasuke." _The blond pondered as he continued to watch Sasuke work. _"Even if I was hated by him, yea I'd be sad, but I still want to be with Sasuke." _

Naruto then looked at the clock at the far end of the room and realized that he was probably done for the day. Time for a ramen break.

**

* * *

**

Walking into his dressing room, Naruto was pleased to see that Kakashi was already there. Kakashi looked up from where he was writing something down and gave Naruto a smile. Or at least, Naruto thought it was a smile since the man had a bandana covering half his face and a headband covering one of his eyes. The man's fashion sense, Naruto would never understand.

"Taking your break Naruto?" Kakashi asked, looking back down to his book. Naruto didn't even try to see what it was. "Where's your other half?"

"Sasuke should be done soon," Naruto grinned as he started to undress.

"Okay, well the president ordered me to go on a small business trip… Uh… After finishing the TV series work, you've got to go and work out and also practice your new dance for you new song. So remember to remind Sasuke for me." Kakashi listed as he flipped a page. "And also…"

"Hey Kakashi!" Naruto interrupted, as a sudden thought occurring to him. "Is it true that Sasuke was supposed to form a band with Gaara?"

"What? Uh… Yea…" Kakashi answered hesitantly. "But a lot of problems happened, so it didn't happen."

"Problems?" Naruto echoed. _"Problems like me joining the company and the president—"_

"Yea," Kakashi interrupted Naruto's inner monologue. "Sasuke suddenly said he want to form the band with you instead."

"What?" the blond asked, making sure his wishful mind hadn't just made him hear wrong.

"The plans for Sasuke and Gaara's band had already begun," Kakashi further explained. "But, without warning, Sasuke suddenly asked a very selfish request. He said that if he couldn't be your partner then he refused to work. Even though that was the only selfish request Sasuke has ever made, it was still pretty selfish. The president almost threw Sasuke out the window." Kakashi ranted as he got ready to leave. "I gotta go, so remember to tell Sasuke the stuff about working out and dance practice." Kakashi waved good bye and left the dressing room just as Sasuke walked in. "Good work Sasuke." The silver haired manager said lazily as he walked out.

Sasuke shut the door behind him and looked at Naruto's stunned expression. He could already guess what Kakashi had just told Naruto. The raven could feel a headache coming on. Why couldn't people just shut up and stay out of his business. _"Honestly. Kakashi should mind his own business and shut up. Now that Naruto knows that I wanted to form a band with him, he'll surely exaggerate everything." _Sasuke sighed as he readied himself to be tackled to the ground.

"Sasuke? You were the one that wanted to form the band with me?" Naruto asked instead, and Sasuke had to hide his disappointment at not being able to feel Naruto's body heat, even if he was going to end up on the ground painfully because of it. "… Why..?"

Sasuke looked towards Naruto and answered without missing a beat. "Because you caught my interest."

"Interest?" Naruto repeated. "Which part of me?"

Sasuke averted his eyes and answered in embarrassment. "The part of you that acts like a dog."

"So… You don't hate me?" Naruto asked hopefully.

"Of course not," Sasuke answered, giving Naruto a confused look.

"Oh thank god," Naruto sighed in relief as he felt his legs go weak and he fell to his knees in glee. (*)

"_Wow. He actually believed everything Gaara told him and worried about it all this time? What an idiot." _Sasuke rubbed his temples where a headache was still threatening to grow. _"I swear, the stupider he gets, the cuter he is." _Sasuke stopped trying to understand his band mate a long time ago.

"'I've decided to never get married'." Sasuke quoted. "Making that kind of statement," the raven smirked. He just loved picking on Naruto. "the one who's going to regret it in the future is you."

At those words, Naruto's heart stopped. _"That's right. Because when Sasuke said if I got married then We Are Ninjas will disband I automatically linked the two together. Marriage equaled disbanding."_

"It doesn't matter whether or not you get married Naruto," Sasuke continued as he took a seat. "I'll leave the band once I can't take it anymore."

"_Once can't take it anymore?" _Naruto was finding it incredibly hard to breathe all of sudden. _"Sasuke never said what he couldn't take. Maybe it's what Gaara said. The whole 'idol thing'. It doesn't matter whether or not I get married. It doesn't matter at all. All Sasuke has to do is say 'I quit' and We Are Ninjas will disband. Even though Sasuke doesn't hate me, he also completely rejected my courtship. We Are Ninjas is the only thing that links Sasuke to me. Only We Are Ninjas."_

At the long silence, Sasuke started to get worried since Naruto neither moved from where he was on the ground or said anything. "Naruto?" he pushed out of his seat and walked over to where Naruto was on his knees. When he didn't receive any reaction from the blond, Sasuke also got onto his knees so that he was eye level with the blond. Sasuke slowly reached his hand out to touch the side of Naruto's face which caused the blond to jerk away in surprise and resulted in the two finally making eye contact, and then Naruto finally understood what Sasuke was talking about.

"Nnn…"

"What?" Sasuke asked. The idiot really needed to stop mumbling. "Are you alright?"

"I like you," Naruto said suddenly.

"Huh?" the sudden confession threw Sasuke off before he quickly gathered his thoughts. "Oh. Okay."

"But you said that my 'serious' was different from your 'serious'." Naruto continued. "And you were right."

"What are you talking about?" Sasuke asked, seriously fearing for his friend's brain.

"I… I was dumped a lot of times in the past…" Naruto looked away from Sasuke and instead stared at the floor. "But whenever the other person said 'good-bye' to me, I never thought of how I don't want to be separated from them. I just let them go. Maybe I never truly like someone before."

At this, Sasuke's own heart dropped. _"Naruto… Does this mean that it was all a mistake when you said you wanted to seduce me?"_

"Being together with you, Sasuke, I always thought it would be obvious. But I was wrong." Naruto's fist tightened. "Even though we're together right now, who knows what might happen tomorrow. I… When I think about this… I start to get really scared." Naruto moved towards Sasuke and reached for the other's hand. "Sasuke…" Naruto grabbed Sasuke's hand and pulled it towards him so that Sasuke was only inches from him. "I don't want to be separated from you." Naruto's face was only centimeters from Sasuke's. "I love you."

Sasuke stared at Naruto's brilliantly colored eyes in shock as the confession left the blond's lips. The raven tried to pull away, but Naruto's hold remained strong and it even seemed as if Naruto was pulling him even closer.

"And this time." Naruto whispered. "I'm serious. Your version."

**TBC…**

(*) – By Sensei I mean doctor not teacher. :)

(*) – Sounds kind of dirty. XD Like from a sexual poem or something.

So will Naruto's confession stick? Will Sasuke accept it and the two will finally live happily ever after? Will Gaara and his assistant get together? (Because I mean… Doesn't anyone else feel like the assist is just a little too flustered over Gaara? XD) Will the band survive all this drama? Will Sasuke and Naruto finally kiss? When will the authoress ever get her own imagination?

… Hey! Let's not be mean now! Goshies. :'(

Anyways, I hope you guys liked it and hopefully the next chapter should be a little quicker.

Ehhh… We'll see. XD

Please review!

— ohhowfluffyyouare


	3. 03 Abracadabra

**A/N: **Wow. The shame… Oh goshies. I don't even have a valid excuse for why it's taken me so long to update. I really don't. So, I'm not going to bore you guys with my rambling half excuses and very sincere (and long .) apologies. :) Hopefully this will… kind of make up for the long absence of updates. :3

**Disclaimer: **I DO **NOT **OWN NARUTO OR POISION ON OUR LIPS

"Talking"

"_Thinking"_

— Times/Scene Change

**

* * *

**

"_And this time." Naruto whispered. "I'm serious. Your version."_

**Song 03. Abracadabra**

Sasuke felt his heart race and his breathing quicken. Naruto continued to inch forward, scared that if he moved too fast it would startle Sasuke into pushing him away.

"I love you." Naruto confessed again. "Please be mine."

Lips just a breath away, Naruto couldn't believe his luck. Sasuke wasn't protesting or moving away. Maybe the raven finally understood that he was serious. Naruto could feel the butterflies ripping at the walls of his stomach in excitement. Sasuke was finally his.

"No." Sasuke answered as Naruto kissed his hand.

"What?" the blond whined in disappointment. "Why not? But I'm really serious about this!"

"I know you are," Sasuke replied while standing back up.

"Then why?" Naruto asked.

"I told you before: if you're really serious then I'll think about it." The raven explained. "Didn't you say it yourself that I was an 'unreachable flower'? Well, 'unreachable flowers' are not easily obtained." Sasuke said with his signature smirk.

Naruto cursed himself for saying those words. He should have known that Sasuke would turn his own words back on him. "Then what am I suppose to do?" Naruto asked in desperation.

"I don't know, but that's not my problem. So good luck," Sasuke answered with a shrug and pat Naruto on the shoulder before turning on his heel and walking back to the other side of the room to finish changing.

"_Sasuke says he likes the part of me that acts like a dog… What does that even mean? Damn it. A dog courting an unreachable flower is even harder than a human. But…"_

"I'm going to go get some coffee. Is there anything you want?" Sasuke asked over his shoulder as he finished buttoning up his shirt. When he didn't hear a response he turned to see if Naruto was listening to him. "Naru—"

Naruto cut Sasuke off with a kiss. As Naruto deepened the kiss, Sasuke forgot his wasn't suppose to be enjoying the blonde's kissing skills and so found himself melting into the kiss. It wasn't until Naruto pulled away that Sasuke's brain started to function properly again that he remembered he wasn't suppose to be kissing Naruto.

"Naruto!" Sasuke scolded as he tried to punch the blond idol.

"Woof!" Naruto barked as he evaded Sasuke's fist. "Coffee right?" Naruto asked as he ran towards the exit. "I'll go buy it!"

Sasuke could feel the blood rush to his face in embarrassment and was glad that Naruto had left. _"What's with the bark? Does that mean he doesn't want me to take the kiss seriously?" _Sasuke questioned in confusion as he tentatively touched his lips. Taking a deep breath and calming himself, Sasuke couldn't help but let a chuckle slip past his lips.

"_I won't let you get me that easily Naruto. Since you've made me suffer through this one-sided love for so long. But then again… That means I won't be getting any action at the same time…" _The raven mused thoughtfully. "So in this situation, am I a masochist or a sadist?"

**

* * *

**

Naruto entered the café with a bounce in his step. "Two coffees please!" he ordered.

While waiting for his order, Naruto started glancing around, oblivious to the star struck and admiring stares he was receiving from the café staff and costumers. He traced his bottom lip with his thumb, and a wide grin pulled at his mouth.

"_Sasuke won't be angry as long as I'm serious, right? So I still have a chance!" _Naruto cheered excitedly. He wasn't down for the count yet.

**

* * *

**

A few days passed with no excitement. Naruto and Sasuke finished filming the first episode of their newest project and the two busy idols were finally allowed a day off to rest up. Unfortunately, Sasuke and Naruto's production company CEO decided time was money and her money was spent on better things than "rest" and "relaxing".

"Isn't it my day off?" Naruto asked as he dragged himself into the CEO office and propped his tired body against the office door frame. "Sasuke rejected me so I stayed up all night playing video games…"

"I apologize for calling you here so suddenly, but I have something to show you."

"Good morning," Sasuke appeared behind Naruto as Sakura started rummaging around her desk.

"Ah! Sasuke!" Naruto called happily suddenly very full of energy. "Sasuke's here too! Hey Sasuke, I missed you. It's been almost 16 hours since we last saw each other ya know."

"Okay guys." Sakura held up two plain white bags. "Change into these."

"Why?" Sasuke inquired as Naruto hugged him from behind.

"Yea," the blond agreed. "What's so important that you couldn't wait a day to show us?"

Sakura handed the bags off to the boys and smiled cheerily. "How do you guys feel about magic?"

"Uh…" Naruto answered, unsure what to say. Sasuke just chose to stay silent.

"Whatever. Just get changed and go to the car." She ordered.

After fifteen minutes, Naruto and Sasuke were dressed in the two suits that Sakura had handed them and the three were now in the car on their way to a magic show.

"Have you heard of him?" Sakura showed the two singers a picture as the car pulled to a stop at a red light.

Sasuke and Naruto both shook their heads "no".

"Well lately a young magician named Byakugan has been catching a lot of attention." Sakura explained.

"Oh…" Sasuke said in recognition.

"You know about him Sasuke?" Sakura questioned.

Sasuke nodded. "I haven't seen him before, but his name has been mentioned a couple times in my fan letters. Something about the puppet he uses for his shows looks a lot like me."

"Looks like you?" Naruto asked, suspicion lacing his voice.

"That's right!" Sakura turned in her seat to look at Sasuke. "Ino saw his show in Vegas and said it was amazing, and when I watched the video I was shocked! The puppet looks exactly like you Sasuke! Plus the magician is really cute too." Sakura commented with a giggle.

"And this concerns us…? How…?" Sasuke asked in annoyance, it was his day off for goodness sakes.

"Oh right. Because I was actually hoping that for We Are Ninjas' next concert to add some kind of magical element to the performance, either at the beginning or the end, though the magic isn't limited to only those two times." Sakura explained with a smile.

"Magic tricks during the concert?" Naruto wondered skeptically.

"Exactly!" Sakura confirmed. "And when I heard about Byakugan at around the same time… Don't you think this is all just meant to be?"

"So you're saying you want him to provide technical assistance for our performances or something like that..?" Naruto questioned.

"And Bingo was his name-o," Sakura said happily.

"But isn't that kind of impossible? I mean, he's a guy that's good enough to get his own show in Vegas. I'm sure he's got better things to do than teach two singers some minor magic tricks." Oh Sasuke, always the bubble buster.

"Oh Sasuke. Ye of little faith," Sakura smiled wickedly. "Why do you think I'm bringing you along? You're going to be our bargaining chip to get Byakugan to agree to help us."

"What? Do you even have tickets to this show?"

"Yep. Luckily, a friend of mine got me tickets to his show, so turn up the charm when you meet him Sasuke." Sakura replied proudly.

"What? We're going to Las Vegas?" Naruto asked excitedly.

"Umm. No. Sorry Naruto. We're just heading to Tokyo. He's on his Japanese tour."

"Ohh…" Naruto said deflated as the car parked.

**

* * *

**

"Hey Sasuke. Have you ever been to Las Vegas?" Naruto asked as they maneuvered around the crowd of people. "Didn't you live in America before?"

"Yea. I studied abroad my last year of high school, and I've been to Vegas a few times to watch some shows." Sasuke answered.

"Shhhh! Keep it down you two. Apparently there are a lot of We Are Ninjas fans here to see the show, so be quieter." Sakura warned the two.

"Sakura!"

"Ah Kiba! Sorry to bother you like this today." Sakura greeted a man that looked around Sasuke and Naruto's age. "Sasuke, Naruto, This is Inuzuka Kiba, the manager here," Sakura gestured to the man then moved her hand towards Naruto and Sasuke. "Kiba, this is Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke."

"Please to meet you," Sasuke bowed respectfully.

"Nice to meet ya," Naruto greeted with a grin.

"Nice to meet you too," Kiba greeted back. "Hey, can I have your autograph later? My sister is a huge fan."

"Yes, of course," Sasuke nodded.

"Thanks." Kiba grinned then turned to Sakura. "Sakura, I've told them that the three of you will be coming, but I still haven't mentioned anything about the concert to Byakugan or his people. Maybe because this is the first day of his first trip to Japan, but he's unusually nervous today… But anyways, I'll just introduce you to him after the show." Kiba promised.

"That's fine," Sakura reassured. "Don't worry about it. It's not like Byakugan is the only person We Are Ninjas can ask to help us with magic tricks anyways. I personally just want to show him our Sasuke, and the fact that I get to met him isn't so bad either," Sakura confessed with a slight blush.

"So we really are just here because she's a fan," Sasuke deadpanned as he watched Sakura talk to the manager.

"Then doesn't that just make me a useless tag along?" Naruto asked as they were led into the stage area.

"Hn. Probably," Sasuke answered with a smirk.

**

* * *

**

The stage set-up was magnificent. Naruto could see why Sakura was such a fan of the magician. Sasuke was unimpressed.

"Byakugan's performance is like shoujo manga's world, both beautiful and fantastical." Sakura explained as she read the pamphlet for the show. "A puppet that only comes to life during the night and it's a one night encounter with Byakugan… That's the back story. Also the moving puppet will act as Byakugan assistant as well. Ah! It's starting!" Sakura said excitedly as the sound of bells started to ring.

The series of floating stairs appeared on the stage and at the top of the stairs was a handsome man dressed in white and his long hair was pulled into a low ponytail. The entire audience was memorized by the man as he gracefully walked down the suspended stairs. He then expertly moved across the stage to an elaborate seat with a child seated in it, but upon closer inspection one could see that the child was really just a very well-made puppet. Byakugan kneeled down before the puppet, leaned forward, and placed a gentle kiss on the puppet's unmoving mouth. Almost instantly, the puppet slowly opened it eyes and stood up before the crowd.

"Wow!" Naruto exclaimed in amazement. "It really looks just like Sasuke when I first met him! Waa! It stood up! So cool!"

"Shh. Naruto. Keep it down." Sakura scolded the excited blond.

As the magic act continued, the entire crowd seemed transfixed with the two figures on the stage. It was truly a spectacular show.

"Hmmm." Sakura mused thoughtfully as the show began to wind down. "I wonder if that puppet is supposed to be girl since you can't really tell the puppet's gender by its clothing, although it does look a lot like Sasuke. But if it is a boy, isn't it a little perverse to be waking it up with a kiss?"

Sasuke chose not to comment and Naruto was too absorbed with the show to pay any attention to Sakura.

As Byakugan was getting ready to do the show's finale, he finally looked into the audience for the first time that night. His eyes scanned the different in-awed faces in the front row with relief that his show was a success. Then his eyes fell on a familiar face, the face that inspired his entire magic show. Uchiha Sasuke. Byakugan stood in shock for a few second before remembering he was in the middle of a show and now was not the time to be zoning out. So he quickly composed himself and continued on with the show.

**

* * *

**

"That was amazing Sasuke! That puppet really looked like you!" Naruto praised as they walked out of the stage area.

"Actually, I find that kind of creepy," Sasuke answered.

"Well it is magic. So there's got to be a trick behind it. I wonder how he did it." Naruto said to himself. "I really want to take a closer look at that puppet. Hey Sasuke, do you think he'll let me?" the blond turned to seek his band mate's approval. "Sasuke?"

"Naruto!" Sasuke yelled as he was being taken by a group of security guards to an unknown location.

"Sasuke!" Naruto called back as he attempted to chase after the group but was stopped by a second group of security guards. "Sasuke!"

"Naruto! Be quiet!" Sakura yelled, embarrassed that Naruto was making such a scene. "Sorry. He can be such a kid sometimes," Sakura apologized to the person she was talking to.

"But Sakura! Sasuke's been kidnapped!"

"What?" That got her attention.

**

* * *

**

Sasuke tried not to cringe at the sound of a slamming door and cursed the men for throwing him onto the floor. They could have at least put him in a chair.

"What the hell?" he asked to no one in particular as he took in his surroundings. It looked like a dressing room.

"Byakugan?" Sasuke said hesitantly as the man walked closer to him.

"Sasuke?" he asked as he kneeled down to be eye level with the wary raven. "You're Sasuke, right? Do you remember me?" Byakugan asked, a little desperately.

"Ummm…" Sasuke shook his head.

"I use to show you my magic tricks in central park. Remember?"

"Ohhh." Sasuke said as remembered the few times a kid, a few years younger than himself, would randomly come up to him while he was reading and show him simple card tricks. "Yea. You did card tricks."

"Yea! That's me! I'm so happy you still remember me! I recognized you with just one glance. I was hoping that if I came to Japan, I might get a chance to see you again! But I didn't actually expect… But it happened. Here you are." Byakugan rambled.

"_Wow. That kid got big. He's even taller than me." _Sasuke mused offhandedly, though he was still a few centimeters shorter than Naruto.

"It must be fate Sasuke!" Byakugan reasoned as he lunged forward and hugged Sasuke tightly.

Sasuke sat for a moment, not really understanding what was happening. But the sound of Naruto yelling outside the door caught his brain up to speed.

"Sasuke!"

Sasuke pushed himself away from Byakugan as Naruto forced the door open but Naruto still saw Byakugan somewhat hugging Sasuke and assumed the magician had forced himself on Sasuke and quickly stormed the room and grabbed the magician by the collar and raised his fist.

"Naruto…"

"Naruto..?" Byakugan echoed in confusion.

"Naruto, stop!" Sasuke quickly grabbed the raging blond from behind just as Byakugan's people rushed into the room.

"Why you—"

"No," Byakugan cut the head of his security team off. "It's alright."

"Yea," Naruto agreed as he lowered his fist. "But if you lay a finger on Sasuke again, I will not forgive you."

Sasuke looked between the two men uncomfortably as the tension in the air suddenly skyrocketed.

**

* * *

**

Once everyone was calm again and thinking rationally. Naruto and Byakugan felt a little embarrassed by their earlier actions. Well, Byakugan did anyways.

"My real name is Hyuuga Neji and I apologize for my brash behavior earlier. But when I thought that I'd lose him if I didn't do something about it, I became a little desperate." The magician explained sheepishly. "I hadn't expected the Japanese artist I would meet to actually be Sasuke himself. Please, please, have a seat."

"Oh thank you," Sakura answered. "But I'm fine. Wow, your Japanese pronunciation is perfect. What a series of surprises! To think that you and Sasuke are friends!" Sakura couldn't help but gush mildly. "Sasuke, why didn't you realize earlier?"

"Because we aren't really friends," the raven idol replied. "While I was in America, he just performed a few card tricks for me in a park. That's it."

Neji laughed a little nervously at Sasuke's statement. "I can't really say I blame Sasuke. At the time I wasn't all that good… Naruto." The magician smiled at the still glaring blond. "I'm really sorry about what happened earlier. If you're willing to forgive me, please shake my hand."

Naruto stared at the outstretched hand suspiciously but the blond wasn't really one to hold a grudge so he reluctantly reached for the offer hand. But before he could grab it, Neji moved his hand up and down and side to side and a rose appeared before Naruto's very eyes.

"Wahh. That's so cool. Where did those come from?" Naruto asked in awe.

"It's simple. Even you can learn kid tricks like this. Here let me teach you," Neji said as he began to show Naruto the different steps.

"Ok!" Naruto agreed happily.

"I'm sorry I was so impolite to you," Naruto apologized.

"Its fine," Neji answered with a smile.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at the two and couldn't believe how easily bought the blond was. Once Neji had Naruto situated, he turned his attention back onto Sasuke.

"Sasuke, after my finale performance, I plan to take a look around Japan. Can you be my guide?" Neji asked hopefully.

"Well… Realistically speaking, it's probably impossible, right Sakura-san?"

"That's right," Sakura affirmed. "Sasuke is an idol, his work schedule is tight and if he were to be seen out with Hyuuga-san, there would be a lot of commotion. Once people recognize you, you won't be able to properly sightsee."

"Would it really be that impossible? At least let him take me around Tokyo. Please?" Neji pleaded. "The only person I know in Japan is Sasuke. I would feel much happier if I could go around with a friend…"

"Oh my," Sakura said, blushing and star stuck. Honestly, this woman would fall for any pretty face. "Alright then, if you're only sightseeing in Tokyo."

"_What?" _So much for Sakura's help. "Sakura-san! You want me to be his tour guide?" Sasuke whispered angrily.

"If you make him happy, he might help us with that _thing _we talk about earlier!" Sakura whispered back just as harshly.

"Wow, Sasuke really looks like your puppet Hyuuga-san," Sakura's secretary commented as her boss and Sasuke continued to argue in hushed voices.

"Of course, it because I modeled Zero based on Sasuke."

Suddenly the room grew quiet at the magician's sudden confession.

"_Based off me..?"_

"I… I really regretted that I didn't ask for Sasuke contact information. I thought that if I just went to the park, I could see you anytime I wanted, but… Then you disappeared and I never saw you again."

"Yea," Sasuke elaborated. "I came back to Japan after I finished my studies.

"Right. I didn't even know you were an overseas student," Neji admitted. "All I knew about you was that you're Japanese and your name is Sasuke. I've tired looking for you without any clue. I couldn't forget you no matter what I did. It's from this feeling I have that Zero was born. It's also how I created this show, which launched my career as a professional magician and helped me become so publicly recognized." Neji looked towards Sasuke with an unreadable expression. "It's all because of you that I've become who I am today!"

Sasuke stared back blankly, unsure of how to react.

"I've always thought that Zero was near perfection," Neji continued to explain. "But, it's nothing compared to you, Sasuke."

"You're so beautiful," Neji moved closer to an unimpressed Sasuke. "You are…" Neji gently touched the curve of Sasuke's jaw. "My living diamond."

The entire room was stunned into silence. Neji had just confessed his love for Sasuke.

Naruto looked up from the deck of cards he was playing with. "Huh?" the blond glanced around the room, confused as to why everyone was in a state of shock. Clearly, he had no idea what had just happened.

**TBC…**

Yay update! :3 Hopefully the next one won't take as long! Woooo! XD Hahaa. Well. It's late and I'm need some sleep. So I hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving filled with family, food, and thanks giving. XD And hopefully my muse will continue to stay and allow me to update Cupcake in the next two or three days. :)

Please review and Happy Thanksgiving. :D

— ohhowfluffyyouare


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